A lot of people come here asking questions about what to read. What can we offer?

Personally I'd say:

1. Mythologyand um....

hmm....what else can you all offer?

Let's see here. Hutton's Triumph of the Moon and Stations of the Sun for history. Lipp's Elements of Ritual as a starting point for, well, ritual.Graves' The White Goddess after reading Triumph of the Moon, because the book has been so important to pagan history, but in many ways it is so very wrong.

That's all I got that's not Wicca specific at the moment. Anyone else?

Dark Energy. It can be found in the observable Universe. Found in ratios of 75% more than any other substance. Dark Energy. It can be found in religious extremists, in cheerleaders. To come to the conclusion that Dark signifies mean and malevolent would define 75% of the Universe as an evil force. Alternatively, to think that some cheerleaders don't have razors in their snatch is to be foolishly unarmed.

Drawing Down the Moon has a few problems, but overall, I think Adler gave us a pretty good piece of journalism there. Yes, definitely worth a read. Can't say to the others; haven't read them. But I will have to add them to my list!

Dark Energy. It can be found in the observable Universe. Found in ratios of 75% more than any other substance. Dark Energy. It can be found in religious extremists, in cheerleaders. To come to the conclusion that Dark signifies mean and malevolent would define 75% of the Universe as an evil force. Alternatively, to think that some cheerleaders don't have razors in their snatch is to be foolishly unarmed.

I recently read wyevens wentz's"The Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries".(Fairy in this case been distinguished from the little barbie dolls with wings view)Its interesting reading and includes oral accounts from native people that may otherwise have been lost.That being said its clearly written from a foreigner who enjoyed the romanticised version of people sitting beside the turf fires telling tales while an attempt is made with is being done in a scientific anthropological fashion so it has to be read in context (as with most books:)) but worth a read.

“Modern Pagans, An Investigation of Contemporary Pagan Practices” (Interviews by V. Vale and John Sulak)

“Exploring the Pagan Path, Wisdom from the Elders” (numerous authors)

“A History of Pagan Europe” by Prudence Jones and Nigel Pennick

“The Earth Path” by Starhawk (observations from her decades of experiences in the Neo-/Paganism Movement)

History Recommendations as well:

Ronald Hutton’s other two books in his series along with “Triumph of the Moon”
(1st book) “The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles, Their Nature and Legacy”, rather dry but well researched.
(3rd book) “The Stations of the Sun, a History of the Ritual Year in Britain” which investigates the historical origins of the modern Sabbats (amongst others)
And his next book,
“Witches, Druids and King Arthur” which deal with some of the outstanding questions left out of TOTM.

“Christianity and Paganism in the Fourth to Eighth Centuries” by Ramsey MacMullen, historical research about how what has been broadly labeled as ancient paganism within the Roman Empire transitioned and enriched a Christianised Europe.

[QUOTE=sam_i_am;238875]A wonderful list creaky. Where is a good starting point? Gimme 2 to start with. I''ve copied the list for later reference. Thanx a bunch[/QUOTE]
Sam,

I would suggest starting the Triumph of the Moon to give you an historical perspective to interpret the others.

The second book perhaps depends on what you are most interested in exploring. If it is history, then try one of those I referenced or the Pennick book, for example. If you are interested in the modern evolution of paganism, try perhaps Clifton or the census book or Nightmare's book. If you want to explore the diversity of the past 70 years, try one of the books with the interview format.